Composition



Cube Creator

ReadWriteThink

The International Reading Association’s website, ReadWriteThink has a lot of great tools to use with your students. One of them is the Cube Creator, which provides templates that break up the writing process into 6 parts. There are 4 templates for writing,

  • Bio Cube – develop an outline of a person through describing a person’s significance, background, & personality
  • Mystery Cube – sort out the clues through describing the setting, clues, crime/mystery, victim, detective, & solution
  • Story Cube – summarize key elements in a story including character, setting, conflict, resolution, & theme
  • Create-Your-Own Cube – generate own questions or topics & share with students for them to enter their own responses


National Novel Writing Month - Young Writers Program


November is National Novel Writing Month, but students can use this site all year long to keep them inspired in writing. Includes pep talks from bestselling authors, a dare machine, forums, & a summer camp.


Word Tamer


Word Tamer is a fantastic site that walks students through the writing process by creating & developing new writing possibilities. Students practice skills for writing a creative story by, “Grapple with Genre,” “Snare a Setting,” “Prowl through Plot,” “Capture a Character,” & “Wild Words.” Judy Waite, author of children & young adult books such as, Mouse Look Out, Forbidden, & Funfair created Word Tamer out of creative writing workshops she delivers in schools.

During the journey students can watch videos to help with brainstorming ideas, & understand the roles of characters, settings, & plot development in crafting a good story. It is interactive through the use of a carnival of literary devices. At each stop in the carnival, students can save or print the work they have created to be developed off-line. There are even certificates for students to print out. This is a great way to get reluctant writers started on crafting their own stories. It is engaging, interactive, & creative for all students. It can also be shown on the Promethean or SMART board for a whole class activity. One to take the time to check out!


Last Updated - March 2014